MMU hosts ‘Advising Learners’ Conference

The ‘Advising Learners about HE: Support for the Front Line’ Conference brought together 120 delegates from all over the country including staff from schools and colleges, universities, Connexions, Aimhigher and other organisations that offer advice and guidance to those applying to HE.

This is a field where MMU has a commanding profile, largely due to the up2uni project that the Recruitment and Admissions Office lead between 2004 and 2008, bringing support and information to over 1000 ‘front line’ practitioners in HE guidance. The Conference Chair Peter Millen said, ‘It’s highly appropriate that the event was hosted by Recruitment and Admissions at MMU, since it was the source of the inspiration for the whole project.’

The organisers were delighted to welcome Barry Sheerman MP (Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Children, Schools and Families) as keynote speaker. He offered an insight to into the work of the Select Committee, and how they are working towards opportunities in post-16 education for all young people.

A variety of workshop options were also available to delegates, covering current themes in HE advice and guidance. In addition to assessing the findings of the up2uni project, conference workshop topics included student finance, personal statement and reference writing, the GMSA Pathways scheme for vocational students, advising adult returners to HE and assessing sources of online help for applicants. The Plenary session gave delegates the opportunity to question current MMU students about their personal experience of applying to HE and the choices they had made.

Delegates praised conference aims to bring together HE advice and guidance practitioners to enable the sharing of good practice and have called for more regular events in this field.

‘I think that it is really productive to shake off the shackles of 6th form life and dive head first into the wider aspects of education, I am enthused and inspired!’ — Conference Delegate

A full Conference Proceedings Report will be available in September 2009. If you would like to request a copy, please contact Lauren Spurr, l.spurr@mmu.ac.uk.